People living and dying with non-cancer diagnoses, including dementia, have poorer access to specialist palliative care than people with cancer and experience worse outcomes in terms of pain, symptom control and experience of care. An online survey following up 16 palliative care services identified as providing examples of good practice back in 2008 was carried out. 15 services responded to the new survey. They engaged in a wide range of activities predominately providing direct care and workforce development or educational activities. Results showed that sustainability of the service is reliant on clinicians with a leadership role and recent initiatives largely built on the expertise of the nursing profession. This new model of care has been termed Hospice-enabled Dementia Care.
Amador, S. et al. 2018. UK end-of-life care services in dementia, initiatives and sustainability: results of a national online survey. BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, 8 (4) p 424 - 427.